Can I Declare and Decree Blessings in Prayer?

Declaring and decreeing things into existence has increased in recent years. I have heard people declare and decree blessings, healing, protection, and success over their lives. Many times I have heard people say, “I declare blessings, healing, and success in the life of this beloved”. Well, we need to check if this belief is actually biblical because just because something sounds good, it does not mean that it is biblical.

Declare and Decree Bible Verse

There is only one verse in the Bible that speaks about declaring. That verse is in the book of Job 22:28 “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” This verse is understood to mean that if we declare something with authority and faith, then it shall come to pass.

The majority of the people who declare and decree use it to speak of the power of spoken words and positive declarations. But the truth is, if we are honest, not everything we declare and decree will come to pass no matter how much authority and faith we declare or decree.

Now we ask, what does this declare and decree verse in the Bible mean? To understand this very well, we need to look at the context of the bible verse. Let me explain why this is important. If we misinterpret a bible verse, God will not honor our ignorance.

To understand what decree and declare verse means, we must look at the context. Who said those words, to who and at what circumstances? Just because something is in the bible does not necessarily mean it is true.

Declare and Decree Meaning: Context

The Book of Job records the suffering of a righteous man in the land of Uz named Job. Job was a healthy and godly man. He feared the Lord and God had blessed him immensely (Job 1:1-3). The Bible tells us that Satan went and asked God to touch Job’s life except his life (Job 2:6). When Job had lost everything, Satan came and attacked Job with sores over all his body. Even his wife, who was to comfort him, was a tempter. She told him to curse God and die (Job 2:9).

The verse in question is a response given by one of Job’s three friends who came to comfort him. Job’s friends believed that he had sinned and that’s why he was being punished for his iniquities. The whole chapter of Job 22 is the response of Eliphaz the Temanite to Job. Eliphaz begins by questioning the value of human righteousness to God, suggesting that Job’s suffering is due to his alleged sins (Job 22:2-5). He accuses Job of specific wrongdoings, such as withholding water from the thirsty and food from the hungry (Job 22:7). He assumes a retributive justice system where suffering is always a result of personal sin. He fails to understand the complexity of God’s justice and the reality of innocent suffering (Job 22:4-5). Despite his misguided accusations, Eliphaz urges Job to return to God, promising restoration and prosperity if he repents (Job 22:21-23). In the remaining verses of the chapter, Eliphaz tells Job that he will be able to decree and declare something and it will come to pass.

The verse on declaring and decreeing things into existence was stated by Eliphaz who had a skewed view of God. Eliphaz believed that the righteous cannot suffer and those who suffer do so because of their sins. Eliphaz believed that believers would be able to decree and declare things into existence if they were in the right with God.

Later in the book of Job, God commanded Eliphaz and his friends to go and ask for forgiveness from Job for their false accusations. We can see that Eliphaz’s understanding of God was not quite right and therefore his statement on decreeing and decreeing cannot be used as a standard of truth.

Declaring and Decreeing in what people call spiritual warfare prayers involve people shouting while praying to symbolize authority and commanding things into existence. While this practice seems attractive and makes some people feel good about it, it is not biblical at all.

Declaring and declaring dethrones God of His Sovereignty and turns him to be a slave to the person. It makes God obligated to grant any and every wish someone may declare. But we know that God will not lower his glory for man.

The Bible calls us to ask everything to God in prayer by faith according to His will. Our lives can take different turns in life but as Christians, we have one whom no one can take from us – God. Satan thought he had taken everything from Job, but to Job, God was everything.

Can I Declare and Decree in Prayer

Declaring and decreeing in prayer is unbiblical and it changes nothing. Only God has the power to declare anything. We have no power to make any decree. So instead of declaring and decreeing, we should pray to God whom all the power, glory and honor belongs to. Shalom.